Resetting device for sound-reproducing machines.



T. AHEARN.

RESETUNG DEVICE FOR SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED N16. 1917.

1,250,751. Patented Dec. 18,1917;

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

APPLICATION FILED lAN.l61 19H.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. AHEARN.

RESETTING DEVICE FOR SOUND BEPRODUCING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-16.1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

THOMAS AHEARN, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

RESETTING DEVICE FOR SOUND-REPRODUCING MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS AHEARN, .a subject of theKing of Great Britain. and resident of the city of Ottawa, in'the Province of Ontario-and Dominion of Canada,

have invented certain new 'and useful Improvements in Resetting Devices for Sound- Reproducing Machines, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, and such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in resetting devices for sound reproducing machines, and the objects of the invention are to adapted to lift the stylus when it reaches near the end of a record and reset it at the 29 beginning thereof. A further object of the invention is to enable the resetting to be effected immediately and continuous y, or at given intervals. Further objects are to generally simplify and improve the'mechanism to enable the .7:- various parts thereof to better perform the functions required of them.

The invention consists essentially of the improved construction hereinafter described in detail in the accompanying specification and drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a talking machine embodying the present invention. I I Y Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative form of one of the circuits.

native ,form of a device for returning the sound tube to normal position.

' Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative form of one of the electric circuits. Fig. 6 is a side view of the lifting magnet. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an alternative form of the lifting device for the sound box.

Fig. 8 is a detail in the elevation of the w timing device.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Referring tothe drawings, A represents a sound reproducing machine or talking machine of any-well known type, the construc- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

provide a simple and effective device Fig.- 4 is a perspective detail of an alter- Patented Dec. 18,1912'.

Application filed January 16, 1917. Serial No. 142,694.

tion of which does not form part of the present invention. The talking machine is provided with the usual swinging sound or tone arm B adapted to swing from side to side abovethe record C, which is carried on the rotating table D. The end of the swinging arm B carries the sound tube 10 and sound box 11, which carries the stylus or needle 12, the sound box tube being pivotally connected to the sound arm or tone tube B, whereby it may be lifted therefrom in a well known manner, when it is desired to reset or change the stylus.

Means are provided adapted to return the sound arm automatically to its starting position whenever the stylus is raised from the record. The means I have shown in Fig. 1

comprises an elastic cord or spiral spring 13,

extending from the side of the sound arm to the side of the cabinet 14, the strength of the spiral spring or elastic cord being sufficient to move the sound arm when the stylus is raised, butinsuiiicient to move it when the stylus is incontact with the record.

15 and 16 represent adjustable contacts provided on opposite sides of the sound arm and supported, from suitable standards 17 and 18; these contacts are adapted to engage the sound arm when in position at the beginning and at the end of a record respectively and are included in the electric circuits hereinafter described.

The adjustability of the contacts to ac-.

commodate different size records is provided for by constructing them in the form of screw threaded pins extending transversely through suitable threaded perforations in the standards 17 and 18.

Electric operating means are proyided fo raising the stylus, the means I have illustrated in Fig. 1 comprise a lever 20 connected to the rotatable portion of the sound box tube, a. link or wire 21 extending from the lever to an armature 22 which is pivotally ice mounted in the bracket 23 and controlled by a pair of electric magnets 24.

The contact 15 is included in what may he termed a resetting circuit F, shown in Fig. 2, and including suitable electrical conductors, a battery 30, one of the electromagnets 31 of a polarized relay 32.' By tracing this circuit it will be observed that the circuit just completed is immediately broken by the sound arm moving away from contact 15, the momentary completion of this Y circuit causes the armature of thepolarized relay to be attracted by magnet 31 which stillremains attracted to 31 by the force of the permanent-magnet of the polarlzed relay, thus the lifting circuit remalns closed against 36, thereby maintaining the lifting circuit closed until the armature is attracted in the opposite direction by electromagnet 33 of the polarized relay. c

' a The other electromagnet 33 of the polarized relay is included in what may be termed the returning circuit G, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and including the battery 30, a single throw switch 34 and the adjustable contact 16. c

The electromagnets of the polarized relay control the movements of the armature 35, Which being polarized will remain either toward 31 or 33 dependent upon which electromagnet of the polarized relay last attracted it and vice versa. When the electromagnet 31 is energized the armature will be brought toward 31 and notwithstanding that the circuit has been. broken the permanent this will complete the circuit F through the contact conductor, magnet 31 of the polarlzed relay 33, battery 30 and sound arm B.

The magnet 31, when energized, will move the armature 35 into engagement with the contact 36 completing the lifting circuit H,

thereby energizing the magnets 24, moving the armature 22 which will lift the stylus as explained before.

When lifted the elastic or spiral spring 13 will return the sound arm to its starting or normal position, the circuit F being broken in the meantime by movement of the sound arm.

In returning to normal position the soundarm will engage the contact 16 and this, if the switch 34 is closed, will complete the returning circuit G through the sound arm contact 1 6,magnet 33, and battery 30, which will draw the armature 35 away from the contact 36' breaking the liftin circuit and permitting the stylus to drop y gravity'to normal position on the record and continue the playing of the piece.

, It will be seen that by reason of the fact that the armature of. polarized relay 32 is polarized (i. a. under the influence of a permanent magnet), the armature 35 will remain at either one side or the other, against 31 or 33, according to which set of magnets has been last energized.

The polarized relay may be of any suitable form, well known in the art, (such as for instance that manufactured by the J. H. Bonnell & Co., Park Place, New York city, U. S. A.).

The table D carrying the record will turn continuously when actuated by the usual motor of the talking machine.

When it is desired to allow intervals to elapse between the repetition of the operation, a time circuit I is provided having leads connected to opposite sides of the switch 34', these leads extend to a suitable timing device 38. This timing device, which may be of any suitable character well known. in the art, is adapted at intervals to connect the conductors 39 and 40 and thereby con-' nect opposite sides of the switch 34 or in effect close the switch temporarily.

The form of timing device I have shown is that previously invented by me and shown in my United States Patent No. 329,874 of 1885, and includes a clock work mechanism 41 which operates a gear 42 meshed with a segmental gear 43 ivotally mounted on an armature 44, wh1ch itself is pivotally mounted in advance of an electromagnet 45. The segmental gear carries a contact 46 adapted when raised by the clock work mechanism to engage a fixed contact 47.

When this is done the circuit is completed through the magnet 45 which draws the armature and segmental gear away from the gear 42 which permits the segmental gear to move downward or upward under the influence of gravity, downward and upward under the influence of the spring or elastic 48 extending between the segment and the fixed support.

This elastic or spring also serves to return the armature 44 to its normal position, i I

The detailsof this clock work mechanism are, however, more fully described in'my aforesaid Patent No. 329,874 of 1885.

In using the timing device, it is ne'cessary, first to move the switch 34 to open pos1t1on. 1t w1ll then be seen that, when the 'sound arm is returned to the position against the contact 16, as previously explained, the circuit G will not be completed until the timing device operates to move the segment 43 into engagement with the contact 47. This may be caused to take place at any desired interval and when it does take place the sound stylus will drop and the operation of the soundireproducer will continue.

When the talking machine is operated by an electric motor, it may be found desirable to save power by cutting out the motor dur- I ing the interval when the machine is not operated. Electromagnetic means may be provided for domg this. In Fig. 2 1 have shownan'eMens1on5O on the armature 22 adapted normally to engage a contact 51, a

circuit 52 including the motor 53 being completed through the extension 50 of'the contact 51 When the armature 22 is raised, it is adapted to move the armature 50 away from the contact 51 and thus break the motor circuit, which will however, be completed again whenthe armature 22 is allowed to drop by breaking of the circuit H as previously explained.

In'Fig. 3 I have shown an alternative method of breaking the motor circuit. In this figure the circuit H is shown to include an electromagnet 54 controlling an armature 55 which coeperates with a contact point 56. When the magnet 54 is energized, it is adapted to lift the armature from the contact point 56 and thus break the motor circuit 52.

Inv Fig. 4 I have shown an alternative means for returning the sound arm to normal posltion. These means include a solenoid 57 having amovable core 58 connected by a spring 59 or other means to the sound arm.

\ The solenoid 57 will be included in the lifting circuit H, whereby when the sound arm moves into contact with the contact 15, the.

solenoid will be energized to draw the sound arm back to normal position.

In Fig. 5 I have shown diagrammatically the electric connections for the modification shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 shows an alternative form of the invention in which the lifting magnets 24 are placed directly on the sound arm and are adapted, when energized to draw a movable armature 25 inwardly, the armature being connected to the lever 20 by a link 25, the operation of the mechanism being in other respects the same as already described.

It is thus-seen that the arrangement of electric circuits and elements described en-.

able; a given record to be played either continuously or repeated automatically at given intervals of time. 7

As many changes could bemade in the above description and many apparently widelydilferent embodiments of my invention within the scope of' the claims constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying. specification and drawings shall be interpreted as cuit adapted to be completed by the oscillatable movable element when it returns to the starting position and including a part of the circuit changing device, whereby, when the return circuit is completed, the circuit cha'ngingdevice will be moved to breakthe lifting circuit.

2. In a sound reproducer and in combinationan oscillatable movable element forming part of the sound reproducing mechanism, electrically operated resetting means adapted to reset the sound reproducingmeans of the instrument at the starting position, including a resetting circuit, a lifting circuit, a circuit changing relay having two coils and a movable member, one of said coils being included in the resetting circuit, the moving member adapted in one position to complete the lifting circuit and in another position. to break the same, and a return circuit adapted to be completed by-the oscillatable movable element when it returns to the starting position and being connected to the other coil of the circuit changing relay,

whereby, when the return circuit is completed, the circuit changing relay will be moved to break the lifting circuit.

3. In a sound reproducer and in combination an oscillatable movable element forming part of the sound reproducing mechasides thereof, adapted to engage the oscillatable element when the sound reproducmg mechanism is at the beginning and end of a record, electric circuits including means for resetting the sound reproducing mechanism. and maintaming the same 1n inoperative pos1t1on, means assoclated with one contact for rendering said circuitsoperative, and means associated with the other contact for render ing said circuits inoperative. I

4. In a sound reproducer, and in combinanism, a pair of contacts located on opposite tion, sound reproducing means, an oscillatable element in said means, a lifting electrlc circuit adapted to return the sound repror ed to'hold the same in inoperative position,

. ducing means to starting position, but adapt-;-

and adapted, when the circuit is broken, to 7 .permit the said reproducing means to move to operative position and continue the reproduction of the sound from the record, two electric circuits, one of which is adapted to be completed by the movable element-at the beginning and one at the end of its move- Y ment, one of said electric circuits including means for completing the lifting circuit, and

the other electric circuit including means for breaking the lifting circuit.

5. In a sound reproducer having a swinging arm and a stylus carried thereby, a polarized relay and. an armature associated therewith, a resetting circuit controlling one, tromagnet of the polarized relay, a conl tact in the resetting circuit adapted to be engaged by the sound arm-when it reachesfi'lt fl a position near the end of the record, the circuit being adapted to be completed through the contact and sound arm, a return circuit controlling the second magnet of the relay, a second contact in the return circuit adapted to engage the sound arm when it reaches its initial position, a lifting circuit including the aforesaid armature and a'contact point and means for lifting the stylus, and means for returning the sound arm to normal position.

6. In a sound reproducer and in combinat1on a swlnging sound arm and stylus thereon, contacts on opposite sides of the said sound arm, and means associated With one contact adapted when the arm is engaged therewith to return the arm to normal position but maintain the stylus in raised position, means associated With the other contact point adapted to cause the stylus to drop to its normal position on the record.

7. In a sound reproducer having a swinging arm and a stylus carried thereby, a polarized relay having two electromagnets, an armature associated therewith, a resetting circuit controlling one electro-magnet of the polarized relay, a contact in the resetting circuit adapted to be engaged by the sound arm When it reaches a position near the end of the record, the circuit being adapted to be completed through the contact and sound arm, a return circuit controlling the other electro-magnet of the polarized relay, a second contact in the return circuit adapted to engage the sound arm When it reaches its initial position, a lifting circuit including the aforesaid armature and a contact point and means for lifting the stylus, and means I for returning the sound arm'to-normal position.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of a witness.

THOMAS AHEARN.

Witness RUSSEL B. SMART. 

